Step aerobics is a form of aerobic exercise ever more popular with athletes and amateurs alike. As an exercise it is distinguished from other forms of aerobic exercise by its use of an elevated platform (the step). The height of the step may be tailored to individual taste by inserting risers under the step. Step aerobics classes are offered at many gyms and fitness centers which have a group exercise program. Such step-type exercisers have come to be a popular form of exercise in which the user continuously steps up upon, and off of, a substantially rigid platform. The constant up and down exercise strengthens different leg muscle groups using simple gravity and the user's own weight.
Proprioception is the sense of the relative position of neighboring parts of the body. Unlike senses such as sight and balance by which we perceive the outside world, proprioception is distinct sense that communicates feedback to the user solely on the status of their body internally. It is the sense that indicates whether the body is moving as well as where the various parts of the body are located in relation to each other. It is this sense of proprioception which allows someone to learn to walk in complete darkness without losing balance since they are aware of where their feet, body and the ground are located relative to each other, without having to see them. Without the brain having constant proprioceptive input, it would be impossible, for example, for a person to walk without watching where they put their feet.
This proprioceptive sense can be sharpened through exercises and such is sought by athletes as well as injured people during rehabilitation. For instance, juggling trains the mind for reaction time, spatial location, and efficient movement. Frequently, standing on a wobbly board or balance board is an exercise employed to re-train or increase proprioception abilities, and also particularly as physical therapy for ankle or knee injuries.
However there is no current exercise or balance device which provides both a cushioning effect during step exercising, and an elevated substantially rigid platform which will provide actual unexpected lateral and vertical movement to the user during use, to thereby provide a means for the user to practice their balance for proprioceptive input training. Neither does such a device exist that will allow users to play balance games with adjacently positioned similarly configured resilient devices.
The elastic resistance band is a portable alternative to weights for strength training. A variety of exercises have been devised to target specific muscle groups. Resistance band exercises are widely used by a variety of health and fitness practitioners—both for general strength and conditioning and rehabilitation or injury prevention. However, currently most such resistance band devices must be connected to a heavy mount to the wall or floor, or are placed under the user's foot while in use which can cause problems or injuries should it slip during an exercise. No step exercisers provide a combination step aerobic device that is adapted to engage an elastic resistance band for use while atop the step exerciser nor any such combination that also allows the user to employ the resistance band for exercisers atop the step exerciser which moves side to side for training to increase or rehabilitate proprioception.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,947, Beaulaurier teaches an elevated trampoline. However the device as taught employs a flexible platform laced to the top of the annular tubes which will bend or deflect when stood upon to act as a trampoline. It is ill equipped to provide for a step exerciser or a rigid elevated platform to allow for balance training.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,768 to Gallaro teaches a rigid platform; however, the platform is supported upon the peak of the exterior surface of a single tube bladder. The Gallaro device thus lacks any interaction between inline tube bladders to aid in balance exercises and an easy means for engagement of the platform to the device which does not employ straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,914 (Plante) depicts an inflatable tube exercise device. However, Plante employs the conventional lacing of a flexible platform to the tube, and only a single tube bladder. Thus there is no interaction between stacked tube bladders and the platform is flexible and hard to engage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,826 (Hancock) teaches an elevated platform supported on an inflatable structure for jogging exercise. However the Hancock device employs a polypropylene or other flexible fabric planar surface for the user to stand upon which is laced to the single tube bladder. It is ill equipped for step exercising and lacks the tube bladder interaction to provide concurrent balance exercising.
U.S. Publication No. 2005/0148433 (Wang et al.) discloses an elevated platform supported by a tubular member. However Wang employs a flexible support surface as it is a water trampoline and has no second engaged tubular member for interaction and balance exercises.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,057 (Collura) teaches a tire trampoline platform having a plurality of openings installed for purposes of blowing air from an inner cavity of the tires onto a person jumping on the platform. The Collura device is essentially a bellows with the stated object of pumping air onto a user jumping on it and is inhibited by the fact that it employs old tires which by their nature are designed with belts and cords to prevent sway and do not have sealed inner cavities that allow for adjustment of resilience.
As such, there exists a need for a device that provides a substantially rigid support surface engaged to a tubular member which will allow for step exercising to the support surface. Such a device should provide an easy and secure means for engagement of the support surface to the resilient tubular member to insure a secure mount during swaying and other motion during use. Such a device should employ a pair of tubular members with sealed inner cavities so that the tubular members will interact with each other to tilt and to sway the platform when the user moves thereon, to thereby provide balance exercise and a means to practice or re-train a user in proprioception. Still further, such a device should employ means to maintain it in place on slippery linoleum and interior surfaces during use, and should preferably provide for the use of elastic resistance band devices while a user is thereon to allow for exercise of muscle groups while concurrently providing cushioning to the user and sway and balance to increase proprioception.
With respect to the above, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components or steps set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The various apparatus and methods of the invention are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art once they review this disclosure. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other devices, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device for step exercising and balance practice and elevated games. It is important, therefore, that the objects and claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.